NHS, Private and Mixed Care

NHS, Private and Mixed Care supports meeting P 3.6. For dental nurses this means recognising where funding decisions affect care and staying within scope while supporting patients and the team.

Funding influences who can access treatment, what options are offered, and patients' trust. Charging rules and exemptions differ across the UK, and many practices offer a mixture of NHS and private care. Dental nurses do not need to be funding specialists, but unclear conversations about cost can undermine consent and lead to complaints.

What to notice in practice

• Mixed practice: identify the patient's immediate need, then hand over or escalate clearly.
• Private options: signpost to current official information and escalate clinical or financial uncertainty.
• NHS availability: signpost to current official information and escalate clinical or financial uncertainty.
• Treatment plans: identify the patient's immediate need, then hand over or escalate clearly.
• Patient choice: identify the patient's immediate need, then hand over or escalate clearly.

Dental nurses should know where to find current official guidance, when to signpost patients, when reception or the dentist must answer, and when to pause care to resolve a cost misunderstanding.

Good practice is practical and visible: prepare for appointments, listen carefully, check understanding, hand over clearly, and escalate recurring problems so the practice can learn from them. That is how this SPF outcome is applied in day-to-day work.

Research and system context

Funding discussions should be clear, current and within role, because cost confusion can affect consent, access and trust.